Hope
by Kayeekay
Summary: Exploration of the moments either in the past or between episodes of Supergirl, mainly one-shots focusing on Kara's journey of accepting her life on Earth. While I think many of us feel there is a small piece of Supergirl inside us, Supergirl belongs to DC and is not my intellectual property.


p class="MsoNormal"The Museum of Natural History was full of energy as school groups and families walked from exhibit to exhibit. The girls of Midvale Girl Scout Troupe 1142 were no different in their excitement to be on an official outing. No one more so than Kara, on her very first trip with the troupe./p  
p class="MsoNormal"So far, she'd let the girls do all the talking. Kara had only been to one prior meeting and had then joined the circle quietly, a little braver knowing that Eliza was just close enough looking on with a few other parents. But today, she was alone. Jeremiah had work, Eliza had an appointment and Alex was with her friends, thankful for one more day without Kara attempting to tag along./p  
p class="MsoNormal"As the girls followed their troupe leader farther into the museum, Kara noticed the voices echoed louder and louder in the large exhibition halls, bouncing off the marble walls. She didn't remember the grand and cavernous Kryptonian museums this loud./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Suddenly, a baby squealed in the hall over and the high pitch made Kara cringe. The lights on the animal skeletons and the brightly colored interactive map glowing off the wall weren't making this area of the museum any easier to deal with. There was a shriek followed by excited chattering from the crowd in the other hall. The girls in the troupe animatedly looked around for the cause of the extra noise. Kara could only follow. /p  
p class="MsoNormal"As the girls joined the throng in the next room, a great roar filled the hall, followed by another. Visitors were pressing in to get a closer look and were suddenly swept away together when a large monster puppet bounded through the room. It swept its large tail around and gnashed its teeth, eliciting cheers. The noise level was growing and Kara tried to cover her ears. A young boy in another group shouted "Tyrannosaurus rex!" at the top of his lungs while his friends jeered and clapped. A terrified toddler began to wail. The Midvale troupe was laughing, pointing, and pressing close to Kara, who by now felt overwhelmed by her senses and the sickly color of her group's vests all closing in on her./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kara blinked, attempting to shake off the visuals of the other girls' skeletons coming in and out of focus. The troupe leader, Mrs. Gaines, was very pleased until she noticed Kara's desperate attempts to shut out the noise and close her eyes. /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Kara are you all right? There's no need to be scared, honey. It's just a person in a costume."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"But Kara could barely make out any of her speech as it was morphing into roars from the puppet and there was now a gallery interpreter with a microphone explaining the T. rex's favorite pastimes. She couldn't take it. Kara bolted past her troupe, shouldering one girl in the process. /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Ugh", the girl scowled as the new girl pushed past her./p  
p class="MsoNormal""What is wrong with her?" said one girl to the other./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Kara wait. Where are you going? You need to stay with the group!" shouted Mrs. Gaines./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The crowd let Kara through easily enough. By there were still people everywhere she went. She saw another interpreter walk out through a door and caught it just as it closed. It was a small storeroom full of props for the museum staff. The room became dark as the door closed behind her. Kara sank to the floor against a rolling exhibit cart. It moved against the door with a clunk and Kara huddled against it still covering her ears. The cool room was much quieter than each of the halls she'd run through and yet there was still not enough relief./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Clark had warned her this could happen. But it was like couldn't even grasp for any control. The visitors seemed to hum outside the door and Kara's head was filled with snippets of conversations and voices that overlapped each other, ringing inside her ears. It was nauseating./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Someone knocked on the door. It felt like they'd pounded on her head./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, are you okay in there?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kara couldn't respond./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I saw you run in, are you lost? My name is Zach and I work for the museum. I can help you find your group...?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"After a moment, Kara heard his shuffling footsteps move away. But others were drawing near. She opened her eyes to the dark and saw human shapes right through the door and gasped. She saw the clothes on their bodies and even the clothes on the bodies behind them if she shifted her perception. She snapped her eyes shut to steady any sense of dizziness./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hi Kara, my name is Sue and I work with Zachary here at the museum. We found your troupe leader so it's okay for you to come out now. There's no need to be scared."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I can't," Kara quietly replied in anguish. Mrs. Gaines tried next./p  
p class="MsoNormal""We were so worried about you. I know you're scared but you can't just run off at a place like this."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kara didn't respond. She could hear some of the other girls outside of the door./p  
p class="MsoNormal""She is so weird."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I knew there was something wrong with her."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Kara, honey? Are you okay? Will you please come out?" Mrs. Gaines tried again./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Silence./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I can try to call your mom."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""She's not my mom! Just go away!" Kara finally snapped./p  
p class="MsoNormal"A younger man pushed his way through the huddle and touched Mrs. Gaines elbow./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I'm sorry, excuse me, may I try?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Mrs. Gaines just shrugged in exasperation and backed away from the door./p  
p class="MsoNormal"He knelt on the floor and spoke gently through the door./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Kara? It's me, Clark."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Clark?" She asked through the tears. Kara opened her eyes to the door. Sure enough, a form outside the door wavered between pulsing musculature and her cousin's face./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, I'm here. Remember what we talked about? Listen, what you're feeling, it's okay. And it's okay to feel scared and not understand it."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""No it's not. It's all too much. It's like –"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""The world is too big." Clark and Kara finished the sentence at the same time./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Listen, do you trust me?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah." She sniffled./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Focus on the sound of my voice. Can you do that for me, Kara?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I think so."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Good, keep focusing on that and...pretend it's an island. An island way out in the sea. Can you see it?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Mmhm."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Now swim towards it."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"A few seconds passed and Clark was unsure if the same thing that had worked for him as a kid would be enough for Kara. Then the door opened a crack, enough to reveal Kara's teary face. She shielded herself from the harsh light that came in./p  
p class="MsoNormal""You did it." Clark smiled./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kara opened the door more as she stood up and immediately rushed at Clark. He enveloped her in a hug./p  
p class="MsoNormal""How about I take you home now?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Thank you," she whispered. Clark stood up and took her hand. He faced Mrs. Gaines./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Mrs. Gaines. We haven't had the pleasure. I'm Clark, Kara's cousin. I was planning on meeting you later, I think Eliza may have forgotten to mention it to you."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""No, she never mentioned it. But I think taking Kara home might be the best thing right now."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kara couldn't help but take some offense to that. It wasn't her fault she hadn't been able to master her powers in the short time she had been on Earth. As if she wasn't embarrassed enough. Kara dared to look around to the troupe members. Their stares or better yet, inability to look her in the eye without snickering to each other, dashed all her hopes of making friends with any of them./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I'm glad we agree. Thank you for looking over her."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Clark led Kara back out through the halls. She was relieved when they were finally making their way down the front steps./p  
p class="MsoNormal""How did you know to come find me?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I keep my eyes and ears on you," Clark replied with a small laugh. They strolled along the street; with each step Kara felt a little bit better./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Well, I'm glad you do. And I liked your island trick."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I can't take credit for that. You know who came up with that?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""No, who?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""My mom. Aunt Martha," Clark shook his head at the memory that was surfacing. "I was always strong, a bit different. But I started noticing strange things happening to me, my senses heightening, when I was 9. One day, things got particularly out of hand when I was sitting in class. One minute, we were reviewing Kansas pioneers and in the next, I was overwhelmed by the sounds in the classroom and my vision seeing into the skeletons of my teacher and classmates. I ran out of the room to find the first most secluded place I could. Just like you did today./p  
p class="MsoNormal""My mom came to the school. And it wasn't until she was outside the closet door helping me to focus on her voice that I was able to hone in on what I wanted to. So, the island trick is all hers."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I'm not sure if I'm ever going to get the hang of this."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""My powers developed more slowly. And with time and help, I mastered them, just as you will. Your exposure to the sun when you were trapped means your abilities will develop faster. It's a lot to take in."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Not to mention an entirely new planet…"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Clark laughed. "And high school," he added./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Alex says I'm doomed. Those girls were supposed to be my friends this year. And now they all think I'm weird. You should have heard what they were saying about me. They're never going to talk to me again."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I wasn't terribly popular in Smallville. But I did have a couple of very close friends. Even when you're keeping as big of secrets as you and I have to, knowing you have those friends behind you will be all that matters. You'll get there, Kara."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I guess so."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""In the meantime, I think a pick-me-up is in order." Clark stopped walking. Kara peered around him at the shop front./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Midvale Creamery!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kara beamed. Earth's frozen sweet treat had already become her favorite. And after the incident at the museum, a mint chip cone was just what she needed. She sighed as Clark held the door open for her. This first year was going to be rough, but she wasn't going to have to go it alone./p 


End file.
